Columns

In the crowded world of aftermarket pickup makers, few continue to explore with as much passion and childlike wonder as Curtis Novak. In this new edition of “Custom Shop,” Jake Serek takes a look into Novak’s work.

This is trying time for all of us. And for those who make their living playing music, things are even more challenging. That's the focus of this new column Ryan just wrote: from the perspective of a gigging musician and a fan of bands and artists too.

Great artists are known for trailblazing their own path and Meshell Ndegeocello has done just that. With a continually evolving body of work and a successful career as both artist and side person, Meshell Ndegeocello is a bass player to know.

After attending a recent Wilco performance, Ryan decided it was time to feature John Stirratt in her “Bass Players To Know” series. Check out what Ryan has to say about his playing, along with some notable tracks from Wilco and The Autumn Defense.

Damian Erskine’s popular “Ask” column ran for over 10 years. On December 4th, Damian announced he was taking a break. He still logged nearly a year’s worth of columns in 2019, covering theory, gigging, gear, and more. Here are the top 10 reader favorites.

For over a decade, Damian Erskine has published his “Ask Damian Erskine” column every week. That’s 533 columns. After that impressive run, Damian has decided to take a break. We can’t thank him enough for his contributions over the years.

Many people question the validity of music lessons. Are they worth it? Why do they cost [enter amount]? And what’s the point of having a teacher when you can learn on your own? That’s the topic of Ryan’s latest “Lightbulb Moment” column.

A reader asked Damian about his thoughts on recording yourself practicing. Damian, who has long been an advocate of this, breaks down the benefits of recording your practice sessions in this week’s “Ask” column.

There’s an art to figuring out rhythms. Ultimately, it comes down to feeling smaller subdivisions. For today’s “Ask Damian” column, we have a video to help us walk through different rhythms and how to decipher them on the fly.

A reader sent Damian a question that starts like this: “Sometimes I feel like I am supposed to be a certain type of player (especially after watching too many YouTube speed demons).” Check out this week’s column on “playing how you ‘should’ vs. how you ‘want.’”

We’ve all heard that James Brown was the hardest working man in show business, but in the world of bass players, there’s no doubt in my mind that this title would go to Bryan Beller. He’s the focus of Ryan’s new “Bass Players to Know” column.

This week, Damian got a question about moving between triplets and 16th notes within a single line. He decided to reply with a video on how he feels and practices the divisions.